Unable to configure my Exchange email in Surface mail program

Hello

I too experienced frustration in the initial setup, but have identified the steps required to get it to work. It is, IMHO, unfair to compare a iPhone, Droid or Surface when installing or going through setup in some areas. Remember, this is a MS product and MS rules apply. We should not compare how to go about changing the oil on a Jet Ski to changing the oil on a VW TDI. Sometimes the experience with one doesn't apply to the other; like we dispose of the oil the same, but the filter we use is different if one is used at all.

With that said here is what I have used [the right filter to the model I am using] and configured in order to setup my Surface to use Mail when connecting to my SBS Exchagne server.

At the very minimum the account fields you will need to know beforehand are;

1. Email Address
2. Password
3. Domain
4. Email Username
5. Server
6. Whether Server Requires SSL

Specific to each you MUST consider and understand these things or you will have issues.

1. Email Address - You MUST know your PRIIMARY email account.

This is the full SMTP address of your email account and the one bolded in the properties of your Active Directory .

Depending on how your server adminsitrator setup the server, the server will stamp the attributes differently. Some may have a primary email address different than the public facing email address. Like SomaAlias@mycoporate.local versus ******@SomeDomain.com.

My primary is ******@MyCompany.com

2. Password - as you use when logging in through any other desktop login screen.

Once expired though you canot change the password on the domain in this model of the Surface since it is not the PRO version. See Side note at end for more about what to expect [what I found] when the domain password expired.

3. Domain - this is assumed to be the domain of the server exchange resides in

I myself do not know why this is listed as I could not get it to take as epected I tried both CoporateDomain.local and CoporateDomain.com as found in Activie Directory for my domain.

I did not use it I left it empty once I specified the domain attribute in the next field's login ID parameters.

4. Email Username - terminology here is the confusion for most.

The Email Username, should actually be labeled Login ID or DOMAIN Username IMHO.

**Everyone assumes this field to mean use a proper Email formatted name [**which can be used in some login points in a Microsoft domain or through other interfaces] and using the PRIMARY Email's SMTP format, like **@SomeDomain.COM, but this is not the case here. I tried briefly to get one of these formats to work and then simply moved on to another format [If the administrator setting up the domain configured it to be like; SomeAlias@mycorpnet.local then enter it as that .local not the SMTP Address like ******@SomeDomain.com . You can see what the account uses if looking in Activie Directory Users and Computers, under the properties of the user account and then under the Account tab on the properties. under the field "User logon name" using both fields concatenated.]

I was successful when I specified my corporate domain login. Where I specified both the MyDomain\username in this field.

[This is where things get hairy for some. Some peopel become confised when domain adminsitrators configure their servers with a .local extension and not a .com. The best way to know what to enter is to think about loggin in on desktop. When logging into a server or workstation joined to a domain; you have the option to select the domain name OR login using a local computer account from the pick list right. You do not see the .com or the .local commonly right, so do not enter that attribute here either unless required elsewhere when logging into your domain.]

When entering this, you must enter this in correct format of SomeDomain***username. Notice the backward slash, not a forward slash. That is a common mistake for may users to use a foward slash. It is a  " ***".

5. Server - the FQDN of the server.

You must enter the Fully Qualified Domain Name of the server like Mail.SomeDomain.com, it depends on how your domain admin set this up on the Exchange Server.

NOTE: do not specifiy http:// or https://, just enter the FQDN like you enter when you ping for an IP address without the URL attributes.

6. Whether Server Requires SSL

The administrator setting up the server will have specified this, if you do not know just try once with it selected and then once without selecting you'll find out pretty quickly.

Once you have properly sepcfied the field values you should have no issues connecting and sending email. I have been using mail now since day one of getting my Surface connecting to my corporate exchange running on SBS 2007. So if anything trying the combinations I mentioned and see if this works if using anything older/newer.

Once you have the first account setup, use this as the tempalte for all future accounts you want to setup.

PASSWORD SIDE NOTE:

There is one thing I have found that I do not like, this Surface is a MS product. It should be capable of properly responding to a situation where the User account's password has expired and must be changed.

When a domain administrator has password policy configured requiring users change their passwords on some interval, and when that password has expired the Surface unit configured and previsouly having Mail working - all of a sudden stops being able to connect. The error presenting to the user makes it appear that some configuration is not right. You try re-entry of the password but no response like; "Your domain password has expired and must be changed." When trying to access mail via the web, OWA fo instance, you maynot get logged in. Leaving you frustrated and needing to get to an admin to reset the password or to a desktop and login where you are prompted to change the expired password. Just something to consider if previously all things are working and then all of a sudden you cannot get your Mail.

I got solved the problem, follow the step on this link: http://brownsmart.co.uk/setting-up-windows-phone-7-for-outlook-exchange-2010/#comment-402

export the certificate and email to any email acct, open on Surface or a WP's email app, then install the certificate, remember, WP only can open .CER file.

I have had the same problem too, so disappointed why M$ do that **** with their own product, I just do the same as how I setup on my iPhone, it doesn't work even I tried entered the my server IP address.

Hello AlanMead,

The Surface with Windows RT does not support Domain joining, even through Exchange. Try using a web-based client like Outlook Web App (OWA.)

KarlProp (a contributor on this board) has posted a step-by-step instruction on how to install a certificate on the Surface RT that will allow you to connect to Exchange Server.  Here it is:

http://www.lonecpluspluscoder.com/2012/10/how-to-make-a-self-signed-ssl-certificate-work-with-windows-rts-mail-app-on-a-microsoft-surface-rt/

It is ridiculous that we have to go to this much trouble to connect - it should just work like all of the other tablets and smart phones.

Hello AlanMead,

The Surface with Windows RT does not support Domain joining, even through Exchange. Try using a web-based client like Outlook Web App (OWA.)

Steven_B:

I am sorry to tell you that you gave me a wrong answer.  I am now connected to Exchange Server 2003 with the help of one of the other users.  Unfortunately you and the other Microsoft staff do not understand that you can connect to Exchange Server.  It is true that the Surface cannot join a Domain - but that is different than connecting to Exchange.